KINGSTON, Okla. - Herman Louis "Lou" Niedens, 79, passed away May 23 at the hospital in Durant, Okla. Born Jan. 11, 1934, in Russell County, he was the son of Rudolph and Nathalia "Dollie" Dumler Niedens. Lou was raised in Russell County and attended Hoisington High School. He later graduated from Concordia Lutheran College in Seward, Neb. On Dec. 29, 1990, he married Linda Darlene Bessell (Hoover) in Moore, Okla.

KANSAS CITY - Gary Lee Popp, 51, passed away unexpectedly of a sudden healt attack on May 22. Born June 25, 1961, in Hoisington, he was the son of Maurice and Margaret (Fuller) Popp. Gary graduated from Hoisington High School. In 1979 he began working for Missouri Pacific RR, then on to Union Pacific RR in 1988. After that he was employed with Johnson County Water District for over 23 years from 1990 to present and appointed Operations Team Leader for 15 of those years.

Marlin E. "Butch" Depiesse, 70, died May 23 at his home in Great Bend. Born Nov. 18, 1942, in Beaver, he was the son of Lawrence LaVerne and Theresa (Schremmer) Depiesse. On Dec. 20, 1963, he married Phyllis Hall in Neptune, N.J. She survives. He returned to Great Bend in 1994, from Monmouth County, N.J., working for Bill Murray's Auto Body Shop in New Jersey, and various local body shops in the Great Bend area.

SAND SPRING, Okla. - George Arthur Windham, 64, died May 22 in Sand Springs, Okla. He was born on Jan. 15, 1949, in Sanford, N.C. Mr. Windham was united in marriage to Joyce Marie Morrison. He was a resident of Sand Springs, Okla., for several years. He worked at Worthman Heating and Air as a service technician.

ARVADA, Colo. - Michael "Mike" Fox, 65, of Arvada, Colo., passed away on April 6. He is survived by his loving wife Debbie; his children Jason Fox of Dallas, Texas; Brian Tracy of Edwards, Colo.; Sue (Tom) Reitz of St. Louis, Mo.; Missy Tracy of Ft. Collins, Colo.; his siblings Philip (Paula) Fox of Ft. Worth, Texas; Judith Fox of Great Bend; Vickie (David) Rondeau of Olathe; and his four grandchildren, Dylan and Nathan Fox and Annaston and Mackenzie Reitz. Mike is predeceased in death by his parents, Wilson C. and Frances V. Fox, who laid a strong foundation for love ...

The Great Bend Public Library is closed for the Memorial Day holiday. The library will reopen at noon on Wednesday, with summer hours going into effect. Fines will be forgiven on any items due on Tuesday, May 28.

Two local businesses recently showed support for Barton Community College's Central Kansas Upward Bound program by donating grants to the cause. Midwest Energy donated $525 and Cox Communications donated $1,000. CKUB Project Director Patrick Busch said he hopes to secure more grants from local businesses soon.

A Great Bend woman's situation is one example of what could happen if people with developmental disabilities are included in KanCare instead of the state-run Medicaid system, Ladeska "Decky" Makings cautioned.